Free tickets for 49ers fans who lost money in scam

Sharon Osgood, of Hayward, a 49er season ticket holder, wired $5,900 dollars to a Ravens fan she thoguht was going to sell her Super Bowl tickets. It was a scam. She ended up receiving back an envelope containing a taunting message and no tickets. (Courtesy of Sharon Osgood)

The Bay Area couple and die-hard Niners fans who wired $5,900 to a Baltimore Ravens fan for Super Bowl tickets -- only to get a taunting "Go Ravens! LOL!" FedEx package but no tickets in return -- are going to Sunday's big game after all.

After this newspaper's story on the couple was read around the country Tuesday, Ticketmaster CEO Nathan Hubbard called Hayward resident Sharon Osgood to offer four free tickets for her, her boyfriend and other family members who got scammed. Hubbard also arranged for Osgood and her partner to have breakfast with NFL legend Troy Aikman.

Before word of that gift got out, the 49ers front office called with its own free-ticket offer. In all, the family has five tickets to the game -- and good seats, too.

"My heart literally was in my throat; it was fluttering -- I was like, 'Oh my God, I can't believe this is happening.' I can't put into words how grateful I am," Osgood, a 49-year-old utility worker, said between tears after getting the news.

A four-year season-ticket holder who has paid thousands of dollars to reserve seats in the team's new Santa Clara stadium, Osgood is still out the $5,900 she and her family gave to a scammer they met on Craigslist, though she has filed a police report in an attempt to catch whoever did it.

The story made waves because of how oddly cruel it seemed, sparking arguments among fans who either took pity on Osgood or blamed her for not being careful enough.

Scams happen all the time, but in this unusual case a man told Osgood and her boyfriend he was a tax attorney in Boca Raton, Fla. According to Osgood, the man said he was a Ravens season-ticket holder who couldn't make the game because his wife was pregnant. They had four tickets and told her to wire $5,900 for them, which Osgood and her boyfriend agreed to after emailing, texting and talking on the phone with him over the course of a week.

On Monday, they got a package that had only a piece of paper with a picture featuring Niners quarterback Colin Kaepernick and Ravens QB Joe Flacco. The message underneath read: "Enjoy the game!!!! Go Ravens!!! LOL."

More "GO RAVENS!" messages were written all over the outside of the package. The scammer even listed his name, address and phone number on the FedEx overnight package.

This week, no one answered the phone or email address listed on the package or Craigslist ad.

It's unclear what will happen with the investigation. A spokesman for the Alameda County Sheriff's Office did not return multiple calls seeking comment.

As part of the public relations move, Ticketmaster has plans for a photo op at the game in New Orleans to formally present her with the tickets. The family planned to leave for the game on Tuesday night in their RV.

"We pooled all our money together to do this so we can go, and then to get scammed like this, it's just the worst feeling in the whole wide world," Osgood said. "The past 24 hours have been the worst, because we just trusted this guy and we thought it was going to be OK."

The 49ers took heat from season-ticket holders such as Osgood for not making enough $850 to $1,250 face-value tickets available, leaving fans to scour the Internet for resale tickets that average about $3,000 each. But owner Jed York and the team are known to reward die-hard fans with great stories by giving them free or cheap tickets.

For Ticketmaster, its message is simple: Pay us the extra convenience fee instead of meeting people face-to-face through sites like Craigslist.

"I wish I could tell you that we don't hear this story a lot, but we do," Hubbard told a reporter and Osgood on a conference call. "There are a lot of places that fans go to buy tickets that aren't safe, and they get completely exploited. And it drives us crazy."

Osgood is hoping that, with the karmic universe now righted, her team will come through for its sixth Super Bowl title.